King crab, fugu at Kitsho
This year, Kitsho offers new and exciting dishes, including the seasonal fare of king crabs and tiger pufferfish ( fugu) in a la carte and set menus. The same options will be served again when the wintry season kicks in starting October.
Shipped all the way from Japan, the king crab is best enjoyed either grilled with a dash of lemon or steamed, and then proffered with a special vinegar sauce that’s mixed from tosazu and ponzu. “The king crab is available now but to order it, you need at least three or four days advance notice to account for its shipment from Japan,” said executive chef Masahiro Mizumoto.
King crabs are caught in Hok- kaido near the Russian border. Kitsho’s king crab set meal can either be served with hot pot, as a grilled dish and/or with a choice between congee or noodles.
Fugu is any of the species of chiefly tropical scale-less marine bony fishes which can distend to a globular form and most of which are highly poisonous. They contain the poisonous toxin tetrodotoxin but are used as food in Japan, as early as 1909, after the toxin-containing parts have been removed.
Chef Hiro earned his degree and license to prepare fugu after an intensive five-year course in Fukuoka, where only a few pass. He is the only licensed chef to prepare fugu in the Philippines.
Sake lovers will likewise enjoy its cozy bar that features an extensive option of sake selections. The list includes 10 house-special cocktails and seven so-chu concoctions.
“Food, like good music, knows no borders. It gets to be enjoyed by all people regardless of nationality. The western Japanese cuisine is sweeter in taste. The eastern side is more salty and closer to the Filipino palate,” the chef added.
Kitsho is located at the ground level of Hotel Jen Manila, fronting the CCP complex along Roxas Blvd. For reservations, call 7958888 loc 2312.